Drying-rack.



' P. KU-KKUCK.

DRYING RACK, APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1911 1 1,01 1,971 Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

2 snnntrs snn 1.

WITNESSES: M X-W I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEY.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO..WASHINGTON. D. c.

F. KUKKUOK.

DRYING RACK. APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1911.

. 1,011,971. Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Grammy.

IN VENTOB. I

COLUMBIA PLANOGDAPH co.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK KUKKUCK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

DRYING-RACK.

' i Application filed May 8, 1911.

ZZ whom it may concern.

a e it known that I, FREDERICK KUKKUCK, i'zen of the United States, residing at St. is, State of Missouri, have invented cernew and useful Improvements in Dry- "1 g-Racks, of which the following is a full, r, and exact description, reference be ng l to the accompanying drawings, forming art hereof.

Iy invention has relation to improvets in drying-racks; and it consists in the "tel details of construction more fully set Ii rth in the specification and pointed out 1n "e claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1, is a vertical ss-section of a conventlonal drylngi' amber, showing .one of the racks in posiln in the chamber; Fig. 2 is an enlarged 'd view of three superposed drying-frames which the rack is composed; Fig. 3 is a p plan of one of the drying-frames, with live screen partly broken; Flg. 4 1s a vert1- cross-section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; g. 5 is a vertical section at rightangles to .g. 4, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3; and g. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional del on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

he object of my invention is to conruct a frame for the drying of sheets of 'tificial leather, straw-board, book-binders hard, and the like, said frame constituting component part or sectionof av rack which jay be wheeled into a drying-chamber pro- ,ded with means for circulating hot air Perethrough and over and around the f ets to be dried. The frame herein is so structed as to afford ample facility for ,1 air circulation, and at the same time ,revent the sheets from buckling or warping 40 pring the drylng operation.

7 iA further object is to construct a. frame thich can be readily handled, one which is ght, rigid, and admirably adapted for pil g up in a rackform; and one possessing .{urther and other advantages better appart from a detailed description of the inntion, which is as follows J Referring to the drawings, C represents casing or chamber provided with a track over which may be wheeled a truck T iaded with one of the drying-racks, the amber being provided with steam 0011s a u heating the air which is caused to be irculated through the chamber by a fan r blower B as well understood in the art lid for which I make no claim. The rack Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

Serial No. 625,677.

herein is built up of a series of frames (preferably rectangular and four-sided, though I do not wish to be limited tothe form of the frame) each frame being composed of a frame portion 1 proper, covered with a web or screen of wire-mesh cloth 2, or equivalent reticulated or perforated material, said web serving to support the sheet 8 of leather (or other material) to be dried. To prevent the air circulating between the several frames when piled up in rack form from striking the edges of the sheets deposited thereon, the upper face of the framel is provided with a border strip 3 of suflicient thickness to form a rim around the sheet .9 deposited on the web 2, the air currents thus passing or skimming over the surface of the sheet to be dried, instead of striking the edge of the sheet. The striking of the sheet against the edge, by the air-currents would not only cause eddying of the currents which would L owing to imperfect distribution of the hot air over the surface of the sheet being dried. Disposed at the ends of the bottoms of two sides of the frame are spacing blocks or feet 4, the blocks of one frame resting on the rim 3 of the frame beneath, the space between the frames being availed of for the free circulation of the drying currents.

Disposed across the frame between the sides contiguous to those to which the spacing blocks are secured, and disposed parallel to the latter, are reinforcing or stiffening ribs 5, 5,-spaced apart so as to divide the frame into equal compartments or divisions, the rack being so deposited on the truck T that when the latter is wheeled into the drying chamber, the fan B will project the currents across the frames and between the ribs 5, 5, of the several frames. The ends of the ribs 5 are rabbeted to the frame members and nailed thereto, the rabbeted portion causing the bottom edges of the ribs to project below the bottom of the frame, but

dental displacement out of a perfect plane, which it should assume to properly support the sheet to be dried.

The material to be dried ranges in thickness (for artificial leather) from one-sixteenth of an inch to three-quarters of an inch, and the thickness or height of the rim 3 is in practice three-quarters of an inch so as to protect the thickest sheet against impact by the air-currents against the edges of the sheet. The currents as they pass over the upper face of the sheet supported on any given frame, also engage the bottom face of the sheet deposited on the next frame above, the open spaces of the web or screen 2, allowing the hot airto more or less freely pass through the meshes of the web (or its equivalent), and thus dry the bottom of the upper sheet. Every sheet being dried has perfect freedom between the frames, the space between the frames allowing perfect freedom of circulation, and the ribs 5 arresting any tendency to undue warping of the sheets. The frames may be readily piled one on top of another, thus forming a rack D (Fig. 1), the rack being wheeled into the drying chamber as already specified. Atthe conclusion of the drying operation the truck T is pulled out and the frames unloaded. The superposition of the several frames divides the resulting rack into a. series of drying compartments through which the air is circulated in a general direction parallel to, and between the reinforcing ribs 5 (see arrows Fig. 1).

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A drying-rack member comprising an open frame, a perforated web spanning the opening of the frame, spacing devices on the bottom of the frame for raising the latter above the surface on which it rests, and reinforcing members extending across the space of the frame and engaging the web, the lower edges of the reinforcing members terminating in a plane above the bottoms of the spacing devices and in position to prevent warping of the material treated.

2. A drying-rack member comprising an open frame, a reticulated web spanning the opening of the frame, and supporting the article to be dried, a rim on the top of the frame for protecting the edges of the article from direct impact of the air currents, spacing blocks at the ends of the bottoms of two opposite sides of the frame, and reinforcing members disposed between the sides of the frame contiguous to the sides carrying the spacing blocks, the lower edges of the reinforcing members terminating in a plane above the bottoms of the spacing blocks and in position to prevent warping of the material. treat-ed.

3. A drying-rack comprising a series of superposed and separable sections, each section comprising a polygonal open frame, a wire mesh web spanning the opening of the frame and supporting the sheet article to be dried, a rim disposed about the upper face of the frame to a height substantially equal to the maximum thickness of the sheet resting on the web for protecting the edges of the sheet against direct impact with the hot air currents, spacing blocks at the bottom of the frame, reinforcing members extending across the frame opening and engaging the web, the bottoms of the reinforcing members being disposed in a plane above the plane of disposition of the bottoms of the spacing. blocks, whereby undue warping of the sheets to be dried is arrested.

l. A drying-rack composed of a series of superposed members, each comprising an open frame, a perforated web spanning the opening of the frame, and forming a support for the article to be dried, spacing de vices on the bottom of the frame for raising the latter above the surface of the member supporting the same, and reinforcing members extending across the space of the frame to prevent undue sagging of the web, the lower edges of the reinforcing members terminating in a plane above the bottoms of the spacing devices, and in position to prevent warping of the material resting on the web of the member below.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK KUKKUCK.

Vitnesses EMIL STAREK,

Jos. A. MICHEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

